


Arrested Development

by an0neemouse



Series: To Dye For [3]
Category: Block B, EXO (Band), SHINee, Super Junior
Genre: A Lesson in Chemistry, Banter, Café, Comedy, Cop AU, Fluff, Funny, I'll Take Care Of You, M/M, Out of Control, Police, Soulmate AU, Sweet On You, a hot cup of steaming love, florist, hair color soulmate au, head over heels, mild thematic violence, multiple bands, to dye for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 18:32:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16728654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/an0neemouse/pseuds/an0neemouse
Summary: Kyungsoo's cafe is robbed.  Jongin responds.Set in the To Dye For universe before the rest of the story around the same time as Sweet on You takes place.





	Arrested Development

“Gimme your money.” The man snarls from behind his mask, brandishing his gun in Kyungsoo’s face. He tosses a nondescript cloth sack at him where the young man stands behind the cash register. 

Kyungsoo knows it’s dumb but he doesn’t want to. His life means so much more than this money but he’s worked hard for years for this and this guy just wants to come in here and take what he didn’t earn. It makes anger burn low in his stomach and for just a second he thinks about refusing but that gun is trained on him and he knows better than to test the man’s patience so he opens the til and starts filling the bag. When there isn’t a single coin left in the register he pushes it back across the counter, keeping his eyes on the thief so as not to draw any attention to his customers. “Here.”

“Many thanks.” The man says with a sarcastic little tip of his head. He scoops up the bag and leaves, the little bell on the door tinkling behind him. 

Waiting only until the man is out the door Kyungsoo scoops up the phone and dials the police. It rings once before dispatch picks up and he’s clutching the phone to his face with two trembling hands. “I’ve just been robbed!”

~*~

“I’m officer Kim and this is officer Lee.” Says a tall cop indicating his slightly shorter partner. They are both dressed in regulation uniforms with thick black boots and guns strapped to their hips. Officer Kim has caramel hair with a single black streak and officer Lee has the opposite. He pulls out a little notebook and flips it open. “Are you Do Kyungsoo?”

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo says wrapping his arms around himself to ward off a shiver. He can’t stop thinking about that gun pointed at him and the flash of anger he had felt when emptying his register. What if he had gotten stupid and refused or something? He could be sporting a new hole to breathe out of. The thought makes goosebumps erupt all over his flesh and he trembles. “That’s me.”

“And you own this cafe?” Officer Lee asks compassionately guiding the small man out of the cafe and onto the sidewalk outside so that other officers can comb the vicinity. 

“Yes.” Kyungsoo’s voice quavers. He’s never felt so violated in his life. How many hours has he worked for that money? How many late nights has he put in to be able to afford to keep this place? The indignity of it cuts him and he finds himself fighting tears. 

“Did you know the thief?” Officer Kim asks making a note in his notebook. 

“No.” Kyungsoo looks up confused. “Is that normal?”

Officer Kim shakes his head. “Not necessarily. But if you knew the thief, even if he was just a customer or something, it would give us a place to start.”

“Oh.” Kyungsoo feels deflated. He wants to curl up and sleep for a week but he feels strangely exposed and unsafe and he wonders if he’ll ever really sleep well again. 

“Can you describe him for us?” Officer Lee asks gently. 

“No.” Kyungsoo gives himself a little squeeze and rubs his arms trying to bring some warmth back into them. “He wore a mask.”

“Can you describe his build at all?” Officer Kim presses, pen poised and ready to take note of whatever Kyungsoo might reveal to them. 

“Uh- not too tall- average height I guess-” Kyungsoo struggles to pull more details to the forefront of his overwhelmed brain. He could have sworn he had taken in every detail he could about the thief but now he’s not sure he could pick him out of a lineup if he had to, the details slipping from his mind like sand though his fingers. “He was just all around average. Not heavy but not really thin either. Just average.”

“And what was he wearing?” Officer Kim asks writing down Kyungsoo’s description. 

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows furrow as he thinks that over. His first thought is that he had been wearing a tattered sweatshirt and jeans but that’s not quite right. The rips in the sweatshirt were too symmetrical to be from natural wear and he had definitely been wearing something over the sweatshirt as well, a jacket or something. He wracks his brain. “I- this kinda sounds dumb but I think he was wearing a designer sweater. Black. With a black jacket over it.”

“Designer?” It’s officer Lee this time who speaks, dark eyebrows raised in surprise. “How could you tell?”

“The rips weren’t random or from wear.” Kyungsoo says with a little shrug. He closes his eyes to better picture it and misses the look the two officers exchange before his eyes open again and he continues. “They were in a pattern. In sets of three. Yeah. Always three rips together.”

“And the jacket?” Officer Kim asks sharp mind moving quickly. “Do you remember anything about the jacket?”

“It was black.” Kyungsoo offers with a little shake of his head. “Sorry. I know that’s not very helpful.”

“Do you remember what it was made out of?” Officer Lee guides kindly. 

Slowly Kyungsoo lets out a controlled thoughtful breath. “Leather maybe?”

“Okay. Good.” Officer Kim makes another note in his notebook. “Anything about his jeans?”

This time Kyungsoo shakes his head definitively. “No. I only saw them briefly when he was leaving.”

“Fair.” Officer Kim says rummaging in his pocket and pulling forth a business card. “If you-”

“Soo!” A tall man with messy caramel hair and black streak says interrupting whatever the officer was saying. He rushes over to the smaller man where he stands with the two officers. “Are you okay? I only just got in and saw the police! What happened?”

“S-sorry.” Kyungsoo says to the officers but he turns to his friend, knowing that if he doesn’t offer him assurances and quick, he’ll end up going into full protection mode. “I’m okay, Min. It’s just money. That’s what insurance is for, right?”

“You were robbed?” The man called Min asks eyes wide with surprise. 

“Yes.” Kyungsoo wraps his arms a little tighter around himself and fights a shudder. He feels weak and pathetic falling apart like this but he can’t seem to fight the tremors that shake his muscles and pull his shoulders in so that he sort of collapses in on himself a little. 

“C’mere Soo.” The man says closing the distance between himself and the smaller man in two big strides. He wraps his arms around Kyungsoo and just holds on while he weathers out the storm. 

“It’s good you have a supportive partner.” Officer Kim says giving Kyungsoo a compassionate look. He holds out his hand to the man now cradling Kyungsoo to his chest. “I’m officer Kim and this is my partner officer Lee.”

“Choi Minho.” Minho supplies shaking officer Kim’s hand and nodding to officer Lee. “We’re not- I own the flower shop next door.”

“You don’t look like a florist.” Officer Lee says with a small smile. The man has the build of an athlete and the aura of a hyperactive puppy, he is not at all what he’d picture for a  
florist. 

“And you don’t look like a cop.” Minho returns with a little quirk of his own lips. “Good thing looks don’t determine our jobs.”

Officer Lee chuckles a little. “Good thing indeed. Please, call us by our given names. I’m Taemin and this is Jongin.”

Everyone in the little circle nods to one another. Minho rubs Kyungsoo’s back and the small man does his best to pull himself together, taking a step back to put a little space between himself and Minho. He appreciates his friend, he really does, he has just always prided himself on his ability to stand on his own two feet and no robber is going to take that away from him. A moment of self-indulgent misery is one thing but now it’s time to move on. 

Jongin, formerly officer Kim holds out the business card for Kyungsoo to take. “We’re going to go file our report but if you think of anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact us.”

“Thank you.” Kyungsoo says quietly accepting the little piece of stiff paper. 

~*~

Following the interview with the police Kyungsoo takes the rest of the day off. He had been going to go back in and get right back to work but Minho had insisted that he go home and rest and he just didn’t have the energy to argue so he put up his closed sign, called his insurance company, and went home. Minho had walked him there and made sure he felt safe before leaving but had needed to get back to the flower shop and hadn’t been able to stay. Part of Kyungsoo wishes his friend had been able to keep him company but the rest of him is grateful to be on his own so he can crumple without an audience. 

And crumple he does. As soon as the door closes behind Minho he feels a wave of cold wash over him and the only thing he can think of to get rid of it is a hot shower so he locks his door and strips off, getting the water just this side of scalding before stepping in and letting the water wash away his worries and the feeling of having a safe place violated. When he feels adequately clean and safe again he powers off the water and grabs a towel, lethargy settling in as the adrenaline swirls down the drain with the last of the water. 

He knows he should dry off better but he just doesn’t care so he just gets rid of the worst of the wet and crawls in bed, pulling the blankets up high so that only his face is peeking out. As sleep drags him under he promises himself that in the morning he’ll go back to being tough and independent. Tomorrow he’ll go back to the shop and take back his life. 

~*~

“Officer Kim.” Kyungsoo greets in surprise when the tall officer walks into his cafe the next day. 

“Please, call me Jongin.” Jongin says with a dazzling smile walking up to the counter where Kyungsoo is standing making a pot of coffee. “You were so upset yesterday, I though I’d stop in and see how you’re doing.”

“I’m okay.” Kyungsoo tells him cheeks pinking. He hadn’t realized he was quite so transparent but the whole thing had upset him tremendously. And so far today he’s spent an alarming amount of time looking out the front door, head snapping up every time a new customer comes in just to make sure he’s not about to have a repeat performance of yesterday’s robbing. “Thanks for checking on me though. Do you- you want a cup of coffee? I’ll have fresh in just a second here.”

“Sounds great.” Jongin says with a smile. He pulls out one of the tall stools at the high topped counter surrounding Kyungsoo’s work space and settles in, adjusting so his gun belt won’t scrape the chair. “Tae and I drove by several times yesterday to check on the place. I was glad to see you closed up and took the day off.”

“Thank you.” Kyungsoo says putting all his focus on pouring the cop a cup of coffee. He feels shy all of a sudden. “I appreciate you guys checking up on me.”

“So,” Jongin says slowly nodding his thanks for the hot cup of coffee Kyungsoo slides in font of him, “You and that Minho guy a thing?”

“What?” Kyungsoo looks up in surprise, not having expected the cop to ask such a question. 

“Sorry.” Jongin hurries to apologize, not sure if he’s overstepped his bounds or not. The little cafe owner can be hard to read. “Sorry. Forget I asked. It’s none of my business.”

In the category of things that are none of anyone’s business, Kyungsoo would like to know if Jongin is well, partners with his partner Taemin but he knows better than to ask. It is, after all, none of his business. Not that that stops him from being curious. He’s wracking his brain trying to come up with something intelligent to say when the door dings and in walks the source of this awkward conversation himself. 

“Hey, Soo!” Minho greets breezing into the cafe and settling himself at the counter next to Jongin without bothering to wait for an invitation. “Got any coffee? I woke up late again and didn’t have time to make any.”

“You always wake up late.” Kyungsoo says bending over to get a cup from below the counter and fill it with coffee. “You never have time to make coffee and you always come in exactly at ten in the morning.” He glances at the clock. “Oh look. So precise I could set my watch off you.”

“Don’t be rude.” Minho chastises mildly taking the cup from his friend. He takes a sip and sighs happily. “You make the best coffee. Why would I bother making sub-par coffee at home when I can have yours?”

“Point.” Kyungsoo concedes giving his friend a small smile. 

Jongin watches the interaction with interest. They keep talking about everything separate which makes him think maybe just maybe they aren’t actually a couple, just really good friends. He smiles a little to himself and raises the coffee to his lips. What an interesting testament to his own sad life that he’s using his detective skills to deduce whether or not Kyungsoo is in a relationship. Maybe he should do a little more detective work – but he pushes the thought away and takes a sip of coffee – he has a strict no using work to pry into people’s lives policy. Surprise washes over him as the coffee goes in and slides down his throat. It is delicious. “Holy. What did you do to this coffee?”

Kyungsoo grins at him and shakes his head. “Proprietary secret.”

“This is – wow.” Jongin says quickly taking another sip. It’s smooth and dark and almost sweet even but definitely doesn’t have sugar in it. It’s just coffee but it’s the best coffee Jongin has ever tasted. “Well I think I just gave up making coffee at home too.”

“Hey, he’s my coffee connection.” Minho says with a grin leaning one elbow on the counter so he can look at Jongin. “So, you and Officer Cutie a thing?”

“Say what?” Jongin chokes on his coffee. He gratefully accepts the napkin Kyungsoo hands him to mop up the coffee he dribbled down his front. 

“Are you and Officer Cutie a thing?” Minho repeats as if he really thinks the problem is that Jongin didn’t hear him. 

“Min.” Kyungsoo says in a reproachful voice, cracking a couple of eggs into a pan and adjusting the bacon. It’s a simple thing but people come in for his western style breakfasts all the time and he knows these are Minho’s favorite. Right now he’d like to ring his friend’s neck but he doesn’t, he just says a word of caution and keeps making breakfast. 

“Jongin, would you like breakfast too?”

“Uh- sure.” Jongin says feeling bemused. He turns to Minho. “Why would you ask that?”

“You guys have each other’s hair.” Minho answers mildly taking another sip of coffee. “But I also have his hair. If you guys aren’t together I’d like to give it a try.”

“Ignore him.” Kyungsoo says to Jongin while sliding a plate of eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns in front of Minho. “He has absolutely no concept of boundaries and I’m pretty sure he was born without a filter. I’ll have yours in just a minute.”

“Okay.” Jongin looks between the two friends for a minute and then he decides to take a leaf out of Minho’s book and throws caution to the wind. “So does that mean that you two aren’t dating?”

“I told you that yesterday.” Minho says with a chuckle. “Just friends. So… you interested in Soo or not?”

Kyungsoo wants to curl up and die. “Choi Minho!”

Just then the tinny voice of dispatch comes over Jongin’s walkie. “10-35 at the intersection of Sejong Daero 18 and Namdaemun-ro 5 gil. Respond immediately 10-39. What’s your ETA?”

“10-4.” Jongin is out of his chair in a flash. “ETA 5 minutes.”

“10-4.” Dispatch confirms and the radio crackles once before falling silent. 

“I’ve gotta go.” Jongin says to Kyungsoo but he’s already halfway to the door so it’s a bit redundant. “Rain check on those eggs?”

“Of course.” Kyungsoo says feeling the secondary rush of adrenaline from the call. “Be safe.”

“Always.” Jongin says and then he’s gone.

~*~

“I can’t believe he got away.” Taemin says later that day, head in one of his hands. “I had him.”

“I’m sorry, Tae.” Jongin sits down next to his partner where he sits on a gurney at the clinic and puts a bracing hand on his back. “You could have never known he was that desperate. All our information said he’s just a punk-ass kid going around robbing people. I mean, we always use caution but you had no idea he was going to fire on you like that.”

“Apparently there’s a bit more going on than we realized.” Taemin says through grit teeth. His shoulder is on fire where the doctor is stitching him up after removing the bullet. He looks over at the doctor’s shaggy head of brown and pink hair bent in concentration over his aching arm. “I thought you said you gave me something to help numb the area?”

“I did.” Chanyeol tells him looking up briefly from his work. “Keep talking to Jongin. It’ll help distract you. I’ll be done in just a minute.”

“What if we’ve got this kid all wrong?” Jongin asks trying to pull Taemin’s attention back to him. 

“You think?” Taemin says acerbically. Getting shot has a way of making him feel a little bit sour. “Channie, hurry up.”

“I can only go so fast.” Chanyeol says not bothering to look up this time. 

“You’re gonna dope him up after this, right?” Jongin asks.

“Oh yes.” Chanyeol gives a final tug and cuts off the thread. “There. I’m afraid you will be partnerless for a while, Roomie.”

“I was afraid of that.” Jongin says with a little pout. 

“No way I’m just going home!” Taemin protests angrily. He feels another prick to his shoulder and glares at Chanyeol where the doctor is injecting something in the soft tissue surrounding the wound. “Ow.”

“Sorry but you aren’t gonna be in any shape to work for a while.” Chanyeol says removing the syringe. “That was a very localized muscle relaxer.” He holds out a slip of paper. 

“And this is a prescription for some heavy duty pain killers. Go home and rest, Tae. Jongin will be fine.”

“But-”

“No buts.” Jongin cuts him off and takes the prescription from Chanyeol. “C’mon. We’ll go get this filled and then I’ll take you home.”

“Will you be home tonight?” Chanyeol asks giving Jongin a look of pity that tells the cop he knows he’ll understand if he doesn’t come back tonight. 

“I’ll probably be working late.” Jongin says with a little grimace. “Gonna be logging a lot of hours until we catch this guy.”

“I’ll leave the light in the living room on just in case.” Chanyeol says with understanding. 

“Thanks, buddy.” Jongin claps his roommate on the shoulder. “And thanks for sewing up Taemin here.” 

“Anytime.” Chanyeol says seeing the two cops out of his office. “Make sure I don’t have to sew you up too though, okay?”

Jongin smiles. “Deal.”

~*~

“So what’s Officer Cutie’s address so I can send him get-well-soon flowers?” Minho asks when Jongin makes another appearance shortly after the shootout. 

“How do you even know about that?” Jongin asks in disbelief pausing in devouring his eggs to stare incredulously at Minho. 

“I pay attention.” Minho says dismissively. “Can I have his address or what?”

“No.” Jongin grins and shakes his head. “You seem harmless but there’s not way I’m giving you his address so you can go all stalker on him. Forget it.”

Minho purses his lips for a minute and thinks. “What if I put together a bouquet for him? Would you deliver it?”

“I’m not helping you be a stalker.” Jongin tells him shaking his head. 

“It’s not stalking, it’s good will from a concerned member of the community.” Minho argues. 

“He’s harmless.” Kyungsoo chimes in topping off Jongin’s coffee cup. 

“Who’s side are you on?” Jongin asks giving Kyungsoo a look of mock hurt. 

“He’d be on your side if you just asked him.” Minho says with a twinkle in his eye and then dances away when both the cop and his friend go to hit him. “Police brutality! Help!”

“Go put together some flowers.” Jongin says batting a hand in the florist's general direction. 

“Really?” Minho’s voice is full of exquisite hope. 

“Don’t make me change my mind.” Jongin warns. 

“I’ll be right back!” Minho says racing out of the cafe. 

“You’re secretly a softy, aren’t you?” Kyungsoo asks with a gentle smile leaning a hip against the counter. 

“Don’t broadcast that.” Jongin warns him taking a bite of toast and grinning at Kyungsoo. “I could lose all my street-cred.”

“You’re secret’s safe with me.” Kyungsoo’s eyes sparkle.

“So,” Jongin begins slowly. He’s not sure if he should be doing this but Minho keeps dropping hints so he figures why not. “Would you-”

“Here we go!” Minho exclaims flying back in through the front door causing the little bell over it to jingle loudly. HE holds out a small artistically arranged bouquet with a tiny little card sticking out of the center. 

“What were you saying?” Kyungsoo asks feeling as though his heart is going to beat out of his chest because he’s pretty sure he knows what Jongin was about to ask him. 

“Nothing.” Jongin says finishing up his last bite of eggs and taking the bouquet from Minho. Maybe this is for the best. What if Kyungsoo shoots him down? “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“Oh. Okay.” Kyungsoo acquiesces and he doesn’t want to examine the disappointment he feels.

“And you’ll give these to Taemin?” Minho asks making sure the cop will do as he said he would.

“Yes, I will.” Jongin says with a fond little shake of his head. “You should cut off his caffeine intake, Soo.”

“I tried.” Kyungsoo grins a little. “It doesn’t help.”

“Pity.”

~*~

“We’ve gotten some information.” Siwon says when Jongin enters his office a week later. “Sit down.”

Jongin does as he’s told and sits own opposite the other man. “What did you discover?”

“Kid’s name is Pyo Jihoon. He got wrapped up in the gang Block B.” Siwon tells him without preamble, knowing the other man is eager to get the information and hit the streets again. “Sounds to me like he promised more than he could deliver and has been trying to make it up to them ever since. You know how the leader Jiho is. He’s got the kid fearing for his life.”

“So you think this kid is just backed into a wall?” Jongin asks trying to compute what Siwon is telling him. 

“Yeah, I do.” Siwon says with a shrug. “He’s desperate so he’s gonna fight like mad. But if you can get through to him you just might be able to flip him and bring down Jiho. It’s worth a shot. Could be a very big feather in your cap.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

~*~

“Thank you for the flowers.” Taemin says into the phone. He’s put the flowers on his coffee table where he can see them from his nearly permanent spot on the couch. “They’re beautiful.”

“How are you feeling?” Minho asks feeling like he’s flying he’s so happy the cop has called him. He knew it was a long shot putting his number in the little card but he had wanted to try and now it’s paid off. 

“Okay I guess.” Taemin says with a grin settling back against the cushions and adjusting until there’s no more pressure on his injured shoulder. “You know it’s driving Jongin nuts not knowing how you found out about me getting shot.”

Minho chuckles. “No big secret really. I just have a police scanner in my flower room. After Jongin got the call I went back to my shop and put together a couple of bouquets and listened to make sure you guys were okay.”

“So you heard the call when I got injured.” Taemin’s impressed. It’s simple and almost boring but he loves teasing Jongin more than anything else so he continues. “Let’s not tell Jongin, huh? Let’s let him wonder.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Minho agrees putting a rose in the very center of the arrangement he’s working on. 

“So,” Taemin says feeling a little shy all of a sudden, “You want to come over after work?”

“Absolutely.” Minho says feeling like a million dollars. “I’ll bring dinner, okay?”

“Perfect.” Taemin’s blushing to the roots of his hair and he knows he’s going to be nervous all day while he waits but he’s so excited it’s worth it. “You got a pen? I’ll give you my address.”

~*~

“Stop and think about this, kid.” Jongin says aiming his gun at Jihoon The kid’s got his gun aimed at his chest and even though Jongin knows that with his vest on it won’t kill him he’s not looking forward to the bruises if the kid gets trigger happy. “You have other options, Jihoon.”

“Don’t listen to him PO.” Jiho says leveling his own gun on the cop as well. If PO chickens out then he’ll be in place to finish the job. “Shoot him.”

“Put the gun down.” Jongin tries wishing not for the first time that his backup would hurry the hell up and get here. He’s a good shot and quick too but there’s no way he’s going to be able to take out both Jiho and Jihoon before one or the other shoots him. “You turn yourself over and they’ll cut you a deal for your cooperation, Jihoon. This doesn’t have to be the end of your life.”

“What do you know about it?” Jihoon asks wishing he could listen to the cop but he knows he can’t. Jiho will shoot him if he thinks for even a second that he’ll double cross them. 

“I know you got into this because you thought it would be fun but then your initiation got botched and they’ve been making you pay for it ever since.” Jongin says. Maybe if he can keep them talking then he can distract them long enough for reinforcements to arrive. “Isn’t that right? You’ve been robbing small businesses ever since to make up the money lost from your parent’s jewelry shop. But there was no way you could have known your parents had had alarms installed and that Minhyuk would go to jail. It’s not your fault. Now you can make this right.”

“You can’t be listening to this.” Jiho snarls at the newest member of his gang. 

“Shut up, Jiho.” Jihoon says trying to figure out who to listen to. There’s just so much going on here. 

“You owe us.” Jiho tells him shifting a little so he can turn his gun if he has to. “Don’t you ever forget that.”

“You won’t let me!” Jihoon yells and his gun lowers just a little bit. “How could I forget when you won’t let me! Maybe the cop’s onto something. Maybe I should cut my losses and help them get rid of you!”

“You little-” Jiho twists, intent on pulling the trigger but a roar rips through the air and he sort of jolts and then his knees crumple. His gun falls to the ground and then Jongin is there, kicking it away. 

“Stop right there!” Jongin yells to Jihoon seeing the kid look around in surprise, ready to run away. “Don’t move.” 

“You shot him!” Jihoon says in surprise. “He- he was gonna shoot me.”

“I know.” Jongin says coming forward slowly now that Jiho is no longer a threat. He keeps his gun aimed steadily at Jihoon and speaks into his walkie. “10-95. First responders requested.” Once dispatch responds in the affirmative he pulls a set of cuffs from his belt and tosses them to Jihoon who catches them dumbly. “Drop the gun and put them on behind your back. Keep your moves slow and steady.”

For just a second Jihoon looks like he’s going to argue but then he lowers the gun to the pavement and clips the cuffs in place. 

“Kick the gun away.” Jongin tells him indicating where Jiho’s gun is. The gang leader is only a couple feet away from him and he knows he needs to perform first aid but not until he has Jihoon contained. Just then he hears sirens quickly approaching and he breathes a sigh of relief. Help is on it’s way. 

~*~

“Hey!” Kyungsoo greets pausing his sweeping of the main room. It’s late and he’s just closing up shop but he’s happy to see the cop. But then he looks up and his smile dies on his face and slides off slowly. “What happened? You look like hell.”

“I’m fine.” Jongin says striding with purpose into the cafe. He goes right over to the cafe owner and pulls him into his arms, not even caring that he hasn’t asked and that he doesn’t know how Kyungsoo will respond. All he knows is that today he stared death in the face and he can’t stand the thought of going through another day without telling Kyungsoo how he feels. It’s been months of going to Kyungsoo’s cafe every day and each and every time he gets close to confessing how he feels something happens and he gets waylaid. But now he’s not going to let anything stop him. “I’m crazy about you.”

“What?” Kyungsoo looks up at him in surprise, the broom dropping from his suddenly numb fingers to land on the floor with a clatter. 

“I’m crazy about you.” Jongin repeats and his heart is beating faster now than it had earlier with the gun pointed at him. “I have been since day one. I’ve tried to tell you so many times but I never managed. Well, I don’t want to put it off anymore. I’m crazy about you.”

Kyungsoo looks up into that handsome earnest face and wants nothing more than to kiss him so he tilts his head back and leans up on his tippy toes and presses a kiss to those full pouty lips. “Do you know how many times I hoped you would say something but you never did?” 

“I’m sorry.” Jongin says but then a smile splits his lips and he chuckles, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo and spinning him in a circle. He stops and stares down at the other man in wonder, amazed that he seems to have felt the same way all alone. “Forgive me for taking so long?”

“Only if you kiss me.” Kyungsoo tells him seriously ignoring the way a couple of the attachments on Jongin’s belt dig into his waist. 

“Everyday.” Jongin tells him seriously and then kisses him deeply for a long minute. 

“I’m going to hold you to that.” Kyungsoo says a little breathlessly when they finally part and Jongin just chuckles. “What made you decide today was the day?”

“I caught the guy who robbed you.” Jongin tells him seriously shifting a little so he can hold Kyungsoo close while they talk. “He had a gun and as he aimed at me I realized I was absolutely screwed if he shot me. I hadn’t told you how I felt. If he shot me then you’d never know. I couldn’t live with that.”

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Kyungsoo doesn’t want to think about the way his heart constricts in his chest at the thought of Jongin getting hurt. “And I’m glad you finally told me.”

“Forgive me for taking so long?” Jongin asks kissing Kyungsoo again. 

“Kiss me again and I’ll think about it.” Kyungsoo tells him with a grin that disappears when Jongin kisses him soundly.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love.


End file.
